Misunderstandings
by Alison Silverstorm
Summary: Magnus had finished talking to Clary quite sooner that he expected. Seeing that their conversation was over, he scanned the room for Alec and when he found him, froze on the spot.


To be honest, Alec didn't know what to do.

The party for Max's first rune was in full swing with the music blaring, guests talking and what not. Magnus had left him a few moments ago to talk to Clary.

Now, he was stuck with some random Shadowhunter guy called Jeremy who was trying to flirt with him, smiling seductively and all. He wanted nothing more than to get out of there and be by Magnus's side again. But he couldn't. He had no choice so he tried to play along, even smiling when Jeremy complemented him.

What he didn't notice was Magnus looking at him from across the room, hurt clearly embedded in his features.

Magnus had finished talking to Clary quite sooner that he expected. Seeing that their conversation was over, he scanned the room for Alec and when he found him, froze on the spot.

Alec was deep in conversation with another Shadowhunter. Normally, Magnus appreciated it when the hazel-eyed Nephilim made an effort to be a socialite. But this was different. The Shadowhunter he was talking to was smiling flirtatiously at Alec and holding his hand longer than needed.

But what hurt him the most was the fact that Alec was returning all the smiles and not making any moves to remove this hand from the Shadowhunter's one. In simpler words, Alec was flirting _back_.

In a way, Magnus felt helpless. If they had been together for say, a year, he would have walked right over, flashed his cat eyes dangerously and kissed Alec right there to make his point clear.

 _Alec was his._

But no, he couldn't do that yet. They had only been together for a few months. If he went over and did that now, it would just scare Alec away and that in turn would break his heart. He huffed as he thought to himself, _This heart can't be broken, because it already is._ He knew their relationship wasn't established enough for Magnus to make a claim over Alec. Heck, they hadn't even said their first ' _I love you'_. Alec was free to be with whoever he wanted to. And Magnus so desperately wished it was him.

His heart felt like it had stopped beating and his head had started to hurt. Without a word, he turned around and climbed the stairs to the terrace for some fresh air, hoping no one would notice him leaving.

And no one did. Except for one werewolf by the name of Maia Roberts.

Maia was making a martini at the minibar when she noticed Magnus leave. As if by instinct, she searched for Alec. Though the two hadn't officially met, she knew enough about Alec to know that he meant a lot to Magnus.

Her sharp werewolf eyes spotted him talking to another Shadowhunter. In fact, it was the same guy she had served a beer to not long ago. She remembered vaguely that his name was Jeremy….or was it James? She didn't bother to remember. But she was still puzzled as to why Magnus would walk out just like that without talking to Alec or without telling him that he needed some air.

It didn't click into place until she saw how Alec was talking to him. He looked uncomfortable and from the looks of it, he was trying his best to play along. It was clear that he wasn't enjoying the conversation because of the little details, like how he tried to pull his hand away every now and then, only to have it held tighter and how his eyes kept looking around the room, presumably for Magnus. She could also tell that his façade was dropping. And fast.

Realization hit her suddenly. Magnus hadn't left to get some air. He had left because he misunderstood Alec's façade for flirting.

Maia was so lost in thought that she almost didn't see the Chairman walking towards her to rub against her leg.

She picked him up and scratched his ears, making the Chairman purr in satisfaction, "Hey, Chairman. I'm really busy at the moment. How about you go meet Magnus in the terrace? He feels lonely right now. Go keep him company."

For once, the Chairman listened to what he was being told and jumped down from Maia's arms before running outside to go see his glittery owner.

Maia knew Magnus would appreciate the company. It wasn't really her business to go and pry on Magnus's problems. But he was her best customer and one of her closest friends. She wasn't going to stand by and see his heart get broken again.

She knew what to do. But what she was going to do was something that would probably haunt her and Alec for the rest of their lives.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where the two of them were standing, grabbed Alec by the shoulders and spun him around so that he was facing her….before kissing him hard on the mouth and parting just as fast. It was a quick one, one that didn't even last for two seconds. But apparently, it was enough to make Jeremy leave. She nearly missed the look on his face. It was flushed red hot with anger at the fact that Alec was taken.

Maia smiled. _Mission complete_ , she thought to herself.

She turned back to Alec and let go of him. He looked completely bewildered.

"Look, before you say anything, I don't have a crush on you or anything. In fact, I don't even know you in the first place. But I did what I did for Magnus.

"Umm…Hi."

"Well, I never—Are you always like this? Get a grip, Alec!" she said and slapped him. Hard, but not _too_ hard. He seemed to snap back to reality at that.

"Wha—You know Magnus?"

"He's my best customer," Maia said proudly.

"Uh—Right. Speaking of Magnus, have you seen him anywhere? He went over to talk to Clary and I sort of lost him from there," Alec said sheepishly.

Maia bit her lip. "About that…."

Alec stood in shocked silence as Maia finished the last parts of her story. She had managed to tell him everything in as short a manner as possible.

His mind had gone blank when Maia told him how hurt Magnus had looked when he saw the two of them talking.

He hadn't meant to continue holding Jeremy's hand or return the smiles he received. He was just playing along because he didn't want to make a guest feel unwelcome.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Magnus to misunderstand his intentions. Not like this.

As soon as Maia finished, he thanked her and dashed for the stairs, completely ignoring the stares he received from the other guests.

The cold air beat against Magnus's face as he stood in the terrace with a drink in his hand and the Chairman sitting next to him. The cat had come in and surprised him. He appreciated the company, though.

It was dark outside. But the lights of NYC made it look like the Sun hadn't set at all. Magnus sighed audibly and mentally reprimanded himself for falling in love with a Shadowhunter.

"I should've known better, Chairman. I should've known that Alec would never like me, much less _love_ me. That he would end up using me just like every other Shadowhunter has in the past. I was stupid to think we had a spark. But isn't it obvious? A Shadowhunter's interested in him. Of course he'd leave me for something like that."

He sighed again and set the Chairman down on the floor, "Go downstairs, Chairman. Party's over."

He didn't want to go back to the party. But he had to. At least to send everyone home. He did his best to compose himself and took a quick glance at his watch. He figured he'd been gone for a good fifteen minutes.

He laughed mirthlessly, "They must've already hooked up by now. Might as well get it over with," and turned around.

Only to be caught in the tight embrace of two strong arms.

Alec didn't stop until he reached the door to the terrace. But that was only to draw a Locking rune because he didn't want anyone to come looking for them.

He closed the door and walked out to the terrace. Maia was right. Magnus was looking into the distance with a drink in his hand. Alec couldn't even begin to imagine the thoughts going on inside Magnus's mind.

Alec just stood there for a while, unsure of what to say or how to approach him. Every minute spent looking at Magnus was a new wave of guilt flooding him.

But when Magnus said 'They must've already hooked up by now.', Alec's heart broke and his arms and feet took control, automatically moving towards where Magnus stood.

Magnus tensed the moment he felt the arms around him, but relaxed, though not completely, when he saw that it was just Alec and not someone trying to attack him.

Magnus didn't return the embrace though, as much as he wanted to. He needed to get things straight right now. So he pulled away and looked at Alec with a blank expression.

"What are you doing here, Alec? I thought you had company. Surely that Shadowhunter is more entertaining than me. Maryse must have been proud. Seeing her son finally trying to connect with someone of his own kind rather than a half-demon," Magnus said coldly.

Alec looked stunned for a moment, and Magnus worried that he had gone too far. But Alec regained his composure soon after and Magnus felt relieved, though he didn't show it.

"Magnus, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Which is?"

"Don't lie to me, Alec! You think I didn't notice how you held his hand? Or the way you smiled at him? I thought we had something special! But I was wrong! I really _should_ have known better than to take the chance with a Shadowhunter!" snapped Magnus.

"Magnus, you've got it all wrong! I would _never_ do that to you. I was holding his hand and smiling because I had no other choice. I had to pretend to be interested in him because my mother was watching. I didn't know how to tell him that I wasn't interested and that I was already in a relationship with someone. I was buying you time to come over until you finished your conversation with Clary." The words came pouring out of Alec and he was panting a little after he finished.

Magnus was pretty sure he was seeing things. Maybe that drink was a bit too strong for his liking. Maybe he was hallucinating. He wasn't sure.

"So you never—"

"Terrible doesn't even begin to cover what that conversation was like. I'm pretty sure my hand is still numb from all that holding. He gripped it even tighter every time I tried to pull away. His smile was sickening and please don't get me started on the talking part."

Magnus just stared.

Alec looked one-thirds worried, one-thirds sorry and one-thirds heartbroken.

He moved closer and took Magnus's hands in his, "Please believe me, Mags. I never wanted any of this to happen. All I wanted the whole time I was talking to Jeremy was to get away and stand by you again. But you had already left and—"

Alec was abruptly cut off by the sensation of Magnus's lips on his. He didn't hesitate to return it, wrapping his arms around Magnus's waist and closing the space between them(which wasn't much). Magnus's hands slid up his chest and cupped his neck, holding him in place while they kissed each other like their life depended on it. If words couldn't prove it, then this would. So, Alec poured all the emotions into that one kiss, hoping Magnus would believe him at least then.

When they finally parted to breathe, Magnus's dark brown eyes were shining with relief and happiness. Alec was relieved too. After all, he had almost lost the man he loved.

He pulled Magnus closer and said, almost in a whisper, "You don't have to worry about losing me, Mags. I thought you knew that the moment I kissed you at my wedding because I love you. I thought I would die never knowing what it feels like to be in love with someone. But then you dazzled your way into my life. And now…" Alec paused to place a kiss on the warlock's forehead, "I am hopelessly in love with you, Magnus Bane." Alec finished.

Magnus couldn't believe his ears. A Shadowhunter loved him.

 _Alec Lightwood loved him._

"It's a coincidence," Magnus said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Alec didn't seem to understand because he just blinked.

"You silly Nephilim, I love you too." Magnus said and leaned up to place another sweet kiss on those lips of Alec's that he could never get enough of.

He then looked up at Alec, who seemed a little distant now. "Penny for your thoughts, Alexander?"

"Oh, it's nothing. What's today?"

"The twenty-first. Why?"

"I want this day to be our anniversary. It's the day when we officially got together," Alec frowned a little. "We are together, right?"

"World, meet my amazing boyfriend. Alexander Lightwood." Magnus announced to the night sky. Alec rolled his eyes fondly. But deep inside, it made his heart flutter.

Magnus buried his face into Alec's green silk tuxedo and sighed happily as Alec's long, slender arms came around him and hugged him tighter.

"So you never would have left me for a Shadowhunter?"

"Magnus Bane! How dare you think that?!" Alec exclaimed in mock offence.

"Just a question, darling."

"I'm going to punish you for thinking that. Oh, I know! I'll be sleeping at the Institute today. And as for the answer to your question…Never."

"Aleeeeec…." Magnus whined. The thought of not having his boyfriend to snuggle into made him break into a cold sweat.

"Nope. From now on, every time you ask me questions like that, I'll spend the night at the Institute. That'll teach you not to mess with me."

Magnus gasped. "Don't do that! I swear I'll never ask you questions like that again. I can't sleep without you lying next to me. You know that! And besides, your warm and comfy. Almost like a hot heater.

Alec blushed furiously. "I—You—Heater…? Oh, fine! I guess I'll stay."

"That's better."

"You do realize we have to go, right? The guests are going to wonder where we are." Alec asked worriedly.

"As much as I love it when you're reduced to a stammering mess, you really need to shut up right now," was the only warning Alec got before Magnus grabbed him by the lapels and closed the space between them once again.

Maia came looking for them ten minutes later and tried to unlock the door, she saw that someone had drawn a Locking rune. Alec, she figured.

So she looked outside the window, wondering what was taking the two of them so long. Her question was answered when she saw the two of them kissing and wrapped up in each other.

Surely she could hold off the guest for a couple more minutes.


End file.
